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Lucas and Adams Take First Wins of Seasons

WILSON / KENLY N.C._ The first checkered-flag celebration of 2001 for Wilson drivers Billy Ray Lucas and Mickey Adams included a tribute to deceased NASCAR Winston Cup legend Dale Earnhardt in highlighting the Bailey's 300 auto racing program at Southern National Speedway on Saturday night.

Lucas, an accomplished veteran, and Adams, a rising contender, remembered Earnhardt in their ceremonial lap before stopping in Victory Lane.

The 43-year-old Lucas seized the checkered flag in the 100-lap Late Model Stock feature and the 25-year-old Adams led every lap of the Budweiser Pro Trucks 50-lapper.

Adams mentioned Earnhardt as his racing hero and Lucas said he was shaken by the Daytona last-lap crash in which Earnhardt, who would have observed his 50th birthday on Sunday, lost his life.

"I'm 43 years old," Lucas said, "and you can get killed out here."

Lucas and Adams were joined in Victory Lane on Saturday night by Freddie Query of Mooresville in Late Model Sportsman, Andy Smith of Goldsboro in Stock Four-Cylinder and Scott Davis of Goldsboro in Stock Look-Alike.

Smith has now triumphed in all four 2001 Four-Cylinder features. Davis and Query celebrated their first 2001 wins at SNS.

Lucas, starting third in his Monte Carlo, inherited the point when the front-row occupants tangled in the first turn following the green flag. He never relinquished the position in posting career win No. 108.

"I have taken a different outlook," said the feisty Lucas. "If it is meant to be, it will be. Tonight, I had a good car, a good team _ everything was good. For 65 laps, the car was awesome. For the last 35 laps, it was loose."

Lucas first fended off the Taurus of Kinston's Hank Jarman. He then weathered the challenge of the Dodge of Lillington's Danny McDonald the last 11 laps. McDonald needed approximately one-quarter of the race before overtaking Jarman.

"I loved it," Lucas said of the battle between Jarman and McDonald for second.

Lucas also started strong on each restart _ including laps 94 and 99.

"I was expecting it," Lucas said of the opening-lap incident. "But it (sitting out front) bothered my nerves. Experience took over."

McDonald settled for his best 2001 finish of second, with Jarman third, 2000 champion Jim Kelley of Newport fourth and Goldsboro's Brandon Head fifth in the Stephen Rhodes Monte Carlo.

"That was a good run for an old goat," said the grinning McDonald. "The car felt good tonight. We were finally hooked up a little bit. The right front tire got too hot and we got tight. It was all I had. If not for the last two cautions, we might have had a chance.

"But I'm tickled to death. We know we've got a good motor program, but, like everybody else, it's a matter of getting set up."

Adams, in his third season in Pro Trucks, raced his Chevrolet to his second career victory after starting on the outside front row. Adams got the jump against the polesitting Ford of Wilson's Wayne Skinner at the drop of the green flag and stayed out front.

"All I know is I wanted the best start I could get," said the jubilant Adams. "I didn't think I could get him and I just wanted to be close so I could get behind him. But when my spotter said 'clear!' I just went as hard as I could."

Skinner, who notched his first pole since early last season, said his Ford lifted at the start. "Then the longer we ran, we got a little looser and he (Adams) got a little better. It loosened up with me tonight and that's why we finished third," Skinner said.

Adams distanced himself from Skinner and then from the Dodge of Pikeville's Linwood Mozingo. However, Raleigh rookie Wil Smith, last week's victor, recovered from an early-race encounter with Mark Howell of Pikeville and maneuvered his Ford into second place on lap 28.

On the final restart, Smith appeared poised to work around Adams. Instead, Adams stretched his lead.

Smith said he was encouraged with the pass for second.

"I drove really consistent the first 25 laps," the 26-year-old driver said. "The last 25, I ran my own race and gave it all I had. I was a little bit loose and he (Adams) was too tight. With these trucks, too tight is much better."

Smith took second, with Skinner third, Mozingo fourth and Donald Fowler of Garner fifth.

But Adams proved he can race out front and survive restarts.

"This is a dream come true _ to lead every lap," Adams said. "The only thing that could be better would be to start from the pole. But I would rather have the win.

"The truck was good but, after the first caution, it wasn't the same truck. All I could do was try to keep it low and do the best I could do. I have struggled on restarts all my four years or racing. But Brandon Head (the 2000 Pro Trucks champion) taught me how to restart. He told me that, if you keep it low, they can't pass you."

Adams assured he has much more to accomplish.

"I want to come out here and try to win every race," he said. "If you don't do that, you're not going to be a good race-car driver."

Query, in the Monte Carlo owned by Wayne Hassell of New Bern, set the pace every lap from the pole, enduring caution after caution and spending an hour and 40 minutes on the track.

"We must have run 225 laps," Query said. "The car was good but qualifying seems to be mighty important in this division. There's a lot of wrecks."

The previous week, Query ran out front the first 86 laps before his ride developed electrical problems.

"You can't help but think about it," he said. "You get the monkey on your back sometimes and, no matter how well you do, you can't win."

But Query dominated the wreck-fest. Raleigh's Chris Dunn, in a Monte Carlo, bounced back from early-race problems to finish a season-best second. Dunn outdueled the Pig Rig Thunderbird of Mark Cash of Chapel Hill. Concord's Jimmy Simpson took fourth in a Monte Carlo, with Tony Blanchard of Rose Hill fifth in a Thunderbird. Simpson was involved in a four-car pileup at the race's midway point.

"We didn't think we would race," said Dunn, plagued by adversity since the season's outset. "We lost all our oil. We have been looking for a break for a while. The car was good all night, but went away on the last green-flag run."

Four-Cylinder drivers treated the crowd to the best racing action. Smith's Toyota and the Mustang of Raleigh's Mike Stodder raced door-to-door the last 10 laps. Stodder slid his racer into the lead on lap 15, but Smith nosed back out front on lap 24 and remained unbeaten at SNS this season.

"Door-to-door _ that was fun," Smith said. "That was a heckuva race. But I'm not going to give up _ I'm not going to give him anything."

Of salvaging the point for the final time, the 36-year-old Smith said, "it was hard work. But my car would turn down a little bit and thank God for lap cars. He raced me clean and I appreciate that."

But Stodder was denied his career-best SNS finish when his racer was protested and did not pass the post-race inspection.

Mike Bridgers of Goldsboro moved into the second spot in his Toyota, with Roy Creech of Clayton third in a Mustang and Al Lane of Wilson fourth in a Pinto.

The Four-Cylinder and Stock Look-Alike features of 25 laps were both contested caution free.

In Stock Look-Alike, Davis' Camaro prevailed from the pole. Jamie Mozingo of Pikeville, who started on the outside front row, finished second in his Camaro. Third was Frankie Corbett of Pikeville in a Monte Carlo. Completing the top five, respectively, were Junior Mewborn of LaGrange in a Monte Carlo and Chris Head of Snow Hill in a Monte Carlo.

Davis also managed a victory last season and said, "we won the same way _ sitting on the pole and leading every lap. We worked on the car all day long and it was strong. We just decided to tighten it up."

Of setting the race-long pace, the grinning Davis, age 29, said, "it's different. It feels really, really good _ especially sitting on the pole."

Mozingo maintained his points lead with his runner-up finish, but Davis trimmed his advantage to eight points.

"We were not where we wanted to be," Mozingo said. "But second was as good as we could do tonight. He (Davis) was handling a lot better _ getting in (the corners) a lot better than we were."

From the start, the only change among the top five qualifiers was Corbett passing Mewborn for third place and his best finish in just his fourth SNS race in his new car.

"We have a little more work to do," Corbett said, "but I am more excited than I have ever been. I'm happy."

With a NASCAR Winston Cup race scheduled in Richmond, Va., no racing will be contested at SNS next Saturday night. The next program is set for Saturday, May 12.